HARARE – The death of a second nurse from COVID-19 has caused panic in the maternity ward of Sally Mugabe Hospital in Harare.
It comes a week after a matron died after contracting the deadly respiratory disease.
According to colleagues, Emelda Cheza died Sunday at the private hospital of Mbuya Dorcas when she had decided to go to a private hospital due to the overload of public hospitals.
Matron Miriam Pundu from the same maternity ward died last week after going to hospital.
Maternity nurses are reportedly slow to move amid concerns over shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and rising numbers of COVID-19 cases among staff.
The beleaguered maternity hospital has reported a number of COVID-19 cases among staff and patients, and sources have shown 15 nurses have tested positive so far.
The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) said it had lost a “hard-working frontline worker” and called on the government to keep frontline workers safe.
The union called on the government to prioritize PPE, warning health workers would be forced to stop work rather than continue exposing themselves to the virus.
